


Varian and Anya Ficlets

by CodyNaomiSwire



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Violence, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodyNaomiSwire/pseuds/CodyNaomiSwire
Summary: Ficlets of Varian and my OC, Anya of Ingvarr. Some romantic, some platonic, and some that could be open to interpretation. Taking place after the events of TTS/RTA.Special thanks to Loofa on the Discord for helping me to develop many of my ideas for these two dorks. Thank you! ^^
Relationships: Varian (Disney) & Original Female Character(s), Varian (Disney)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Anya of Ingvarr Synopsis

**Author's Note:**

> A quick introduction of my OC, Anya of Ingvarr!
> 
> Anya Tumblr posts:
> 
> Synopsis - https://codynaomiswireart.tumblr.com/post/189045399305/anya-of-ingvarr-synopsis
> 
> Anya reference sheet - https://codynaomiswireart.tumblr.com/post/189029546865/anya-of-ingvarr-reference-sheet-did-up-a-reference
> 
> Ari reference sheet - https://codynaomiswireart.tumblr.com/post/189260152640/artemis-ari-reference-sheet-did-a-reference

** (Note: Anya’s character is a work-in-progress, so some of these elements may change at some point. But here they are currently!) **

**Basic Info :**

**Name:** Anya

**Age:** 15 years

**Height:** 5′ 3′′

**Relatives** : The Queen of Ingvarr (aunt), the two princesses of Ingvarr (cousins), Kajsa (mother), unknown father

**Kingdom Affiliation:** Ingvarr

**Animal companion:** Artemis (nickname “Ari”), a * thylacine (aka Tasmanian tiger)

**Voice Claim (i.e. head canon voice):** Bella Ramsey ( _Game of Thrones_ , _Hilda_ )

**Personality :**

Like manyof the women of Ingvarr, Anya tends to exert a tough and reserved exterior upon first encounter. However, once the ice is broken, she can be very fun, affectionate, and loyal towards her companions. Unlike most of the women of Ingvarr, Anya is rather quirky, and her enthusiasm and sense of humor can sometimes irritate her fellow family members, who like to maintain a more regal image for their royal house. However, Anya does know her social graces, and strives to be a warrior, inventor, and diplomat that Ingvarr can be proud of when engaging in important international affairs. Anya is also a little superstitious. She does not engage in magic herself, but she does think twice about committing certain acts rumored to be taboo by the fae folk (ex. disturbing fairy circles in the woods).Anya also loves legends, fairy tales, myths, and folklore.While levelheaded and calm for the most part, Anya can be quite fierce if she or any of her loved ones are threatened. Though a skilled fighter, Anya is by no means the best, and will often depend on her machines, gadgets, and wits to help her compensate in battle. She also hates personal failures, and can be hard on herself if she messes something up. **  
**

**Bio :**

Anya was born into the kingdom of Ingvarr, and from a young age was trained in both combat and mechanical engineering. Having grown up alongside her cousins, Anya saw them as being practically her older sisters, and looked up to them often. Though she had moments of feeling like a bit of an oddball among her fellow countrywomen, Anya maintained a consistent social life with her family and friends, and took an interest in training to be diplomat for her kingdom. At the age of twelve, Anya also got Artemis as her animal companion, who had been rescued as a cub from a black market chain, and whom Anya then raised. Unlike many of the women of Ingvarr, Anya was never told who her father was, and thus has never had any contact with him in her lifetime.

Sometime after turning fifteen, Anya was determined to enter one of her inventions into Corona’s Exposition of Sciences. Soon after arriving in the capitol for the competition, Anya met Varian as another competitor, and was impressed with the knowledge he displayed concerning alchemy and mechanics. She also met the rest of the crew, and they became fast friends. During her stay with everyone at the castle, Anya also observed many of the father-child relationships between characters (ex. Rapunzel and Frederic, Varian and Quirin, Eugene and Edmund, Cass and the Captain, etc.), and she began to wonder more about her own father. As she attempted to broach the subject once again with her mother (something she had not done in years), Kajsa refused quite strongly to say anything more about the matter, and insisted that Anya just leave it alone. Not to be deterred, however, Anya decided that she must try to find out who her father is, and possibly locate him. Although, she may need some help from some new friends in order to do so…

**Misc. Interests, Talents, and Hobbies :**

Mechanical engineering, fencing, archery, horseback riding, sewing, cooking, hunting, fishing, drawing and painting, violin, flute, lute, and ** _kulning_ **  
**

* * *

*** As of 1936, the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) has been considered extinct, with the last known specimen dying in captivity. While alleged sightings of the species have been reported throughout Tasmania in the years following, no solid evidence has been brought forward confirming their continued existence. Though since the Tasmanian tiger would’ve been around during the time period(s) that TTS/RTA is inspired by, I thought it would be fun if Anya had this unique species as her animal companion. The idea of Anya having a Tasmanian tiger was also inspired by Dr. Barlow and her Tasmanian tiger, Tazza, from the _Leviathan_ steampunk trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.**

**** Kulning is the ancient art of Swedish herding calls. These calls - which could sound quite melodic - were used to call the livestock home at the end of the day, and to also communicate with anyone out the fields, or neighbors who could be a good distance away.**

**Take a listen to some Swedish kulning here! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKImmIQ4omQ**


	2. Who's Ready for the Expo?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scenario drabble of Varian and Anya meeting each other.

It was Ari who noticed him first.

Anya paused in her welding as her thylacine perked up from where she had been laying atop the large machine, and then bounded down excitedly towards the newcomer who came from round the bend. From where she hung on the maintenance rig, Anya twisted round and pushed her goggles back atop her head to see better. Behind her, the stranger yelped in alarm as Ari began leaping and barking round him excitedly. Anya suspected that he had never seen a Tasmanian tiger before.

As she fixed her eyes on him, Anya figured he must be another one of the competitor's at Corona's exposition of sciences. Like Anya herself, he wore goggles and heavy work gloves and boots. Unlike Anya, however, who wore the traditional engineer's uniform of Ingvarr, the boy's outfit was of unique design, though definitely bore a Coronean aesthetic. Upon his shoulders, Anya could also see he had been accompanied by a raccoon, who bristled and hissed at Ari as she continued to make both him and his boy nervous with her antics.

Anya raised her eyebrows, recalling to mind now the stories she had heard about the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked) alchemist from Corona who had caused such a hullabaloo not too long ago in the kingdom. Anya was still vague on a lot of the details of all that had happened, but of course the engineers of Ingvarr took a keen interest in the rumors about him creating dozens of near-sentient iron gollems and other wondrous contraptions. There were even whispers of him combining the natural sciences with magic, like one of the wizards of the ancient days. Anya wasn't sure which stories were true or exaggerated, but what she did know was that despite this boy's innocent appearance, he was apparently capable of feats that even the armies of Corona had feared, for he had turned against them at one time she knew. Yet here he was also, wandering around freely, entering into grand international competitions, and she even heard murmurs of excitement and pride from a few of the local townsfolk at how Corona would totally sweep away the competition with _him_ as their representative.

_"Well,"_ Anya thought with a mixture of both apprehension and mischief as she lowered herself down from the rig. _"We'll see about that!"_

By now, as Anya strode towards them, the boy was tentatively giving Ari a few pats on the head as she finally began to settle down, though his raccoon continued to chitter nervously at her from his shoulder.

Anya gave a quick, short whistle. "C'mere, Ari!" she called, and the thylacine immediately came scampering back towards her obediently. "There's a good girl," Anya said as she gave Ari a quick scratch behind the ears before turning to meet the stranger. "Sorry about that," Anya began. "Ari gets rather excited whenever she meets someone new."

"Oh, uh, n-no problem!" the boy replied, though still eyeing Ari with some suspicion. "Sooo, this is your dog, then?"

Anya gave an amused grin. This really was going to be fun.

"Oh, she isn't a dog," Anya clarified. "She isn't even a canine. Ari is a thylacine; a Tasmanian tiger. She's a marsupial from the Australian continent."

"Oh, really?" the boy asked, clearly astonished. "I've...never seen one before."

"Well, obviously," Anya teased with a giggle, earning a slight look of annoyance from the boy.

"The name's Anya," Anya said as she extended her right hand. "And you are?"

"Oh, um, Varian," the boy replied, giving her hand a firm shake. Or, at least, as firm a shake as he could muster with those noodle arms hidden beneath his roomy sleeves. Anya smiled. He definitely had the look of a scholar (or nerd, depending on which term you preferred), though his rumored feats would have anyone think that he must've had a menacing presence to him.

He was definitely a puzzle. Though, fortunately, Anya really liked puzzles.

"So, you're one of the competitors as well, yeah?" Anya asked.

"Oh, er, yes, yes I am," the boy stammered, though his tentativeness seemed to melt away as the topic of discussion turned to the expo. "Wouldn't want to pass up another chance to show the world the wonders of _alchemy_ , am I right? That's my area of expertise by the way." Here the boy stood confidently as he continued. "I don't want to give away too much of course, but, uh, I'm pretty sure I've made a discovery that will prove revolutionary to the history of air travel. Or 'aeronautics' as I'm calling it. Of course, Saporian hot air balloons were fine and all, and we did make some improvements to them when we modified them for-"

Here, the boy suddenly cut himself off, looking for a moment like he nearly gave away a terrible secret. Anya couldn't help but give him a confused look. Did he just say "we" when talking about the Saporians? Or had Anya misunderstood? She didn't know a whole lot about Corona's history, but she did know that the Saporians were an underground terrorist faction that would occasionally strike at Corona's government throughout their history. Perhaps Varian once had a run-in with them.

_"Or,"_ Anya thought with a feeling of dread. _"Perhaps...he'd been a part of them?"_

"I-I mean," Varian quickly tried to recover, "the-the Saporian blueprints were great to study, but could definitely be improved with a more contemporary design. Sooo...yeah. That's-that's about all I can tell you for now. Heh heh! You'll have to wait to see the grand reveal for yourself this afternoon!"

Anya blinked at him, and Varian shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. Perhaps she was just letting rumors and stories get the better of her (something she knew most everyone thought about her, especially when it came to all of her 'superstitions,' as they called them), but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was definitely a mystery here. And going hand-in-hand with puzzles, Anya really liked a good mystery. She hated to be nosy, of course, but her curiosity had been piqued now, and there was no going back.

Anya finally smiled back at Varian, "Hm! Sure sounds impressive. I'm sure I'll look forward to seeing what you've got."

Varian let out a breath of relief as the moment passed. "Oh, th-that's good! So, um, wh-what will you be entering? If you don't mind my asking. Just thought I would get a look at the competition is all." Here he again donned his showman's attitude. "Though of course, it's obvious that Corona will be taking home the grand prize again this year!"

Anya's eyes narrowed, earning a flinch from Varian. Though instead of being angry, Anya laughed at this, and give him two soft jabs in the side of the arm.

"Ow!" Varian yelped, confused, and rubbing at the spot where she had nudged him. Anya rolled her eyes. She knew she hadn't actually jabbed hard enough to hurt him.

"Two for flinching," she replied, figuring her Ingvarrian gesture warranted some explanation. "Anywho, I'm afraid you'll also have to wait and see what I have in store to enter in the contest for Ingvarr. All I'm going to say is that I'm sure it will be quite the electrifying display to behold."

Varian peered up at the large machine Anya had been working on, and cocked his head a little to one side, obviously trying to plot out in his mind how it worked. Anya couldn't help but smirk as she noticed him raise his eyebrows as understanding seemed to be settling in, though there still seemed to be a layer of puzzlement as well.  
"Huh," he finally breathed. "Well, I'm sure I'll look forward to seeing your entry as well."

Anya nodded, still giving a Varian a look which seemed to fluster him a little. Blushing slightly, and scratching the back of his neck, Varian turned to leave. "Well, er, I guess Ruddiger and I will leave you to it then. It was nice to meet you Anya!"

"Likewise, Varian," said Anya, and she watched with a shake of her head as the boy scampered away back towards the main pavilion.

Anya brought a thoughtful finger up to her chin as she watched Varian disappear back among the tents and the crowds, and couldn't help but smile again as she found herself wondering when she would be able to talk with him again.

"I think..." she mused quietly to Ari, who peered up happily from her side. "I think he and I are going to be friends."


	3. Fairy Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian gets his first glimpse at Anya's superstitious side.

“Oh, sweet!” Varian exclaimed as he emerged into the small clearing. “I was hoping to find some _Agaricus arvensis_!”

“What did you say?” Anya called from several yards behind, having paused to analyze some deer tracks in the soil nearby.

“ _Agaricus arvensis_ ,” Varian repeated in his showman’s tone as he pulled a trowel from his pack. “Or, in layman’s terms, a ‘horse mushroom.’ Perfect for cooking _and_ for alchemical experiments!”

Anya rolled her eyes as she rose up to join him. As much as Varian’s vast knowledge impressed her a good deal, he really could be quite a smug twerp sometimes. He probably didn’t mean it half the time, but it could be annoying how often he tended to automatically assume that he knew more than the person he was talking to about…well, about most everything when it came to the sciences. Of course, Anya knew which mushrooms were good for eating and which weren’t. She had been trained in outdoor survival after all. But she figured trying to make a fuss about Varian’s tone over it wasn’t worth it at this stage. Probably best to leave it alone and just let Varian have fun gathering his-

Varian then started as he heard Anya let out a distressed gasp from behind him, and Varian’s head whipped round to see what was wrong. Anya stood there, hands clutching at her hair, and a look of near horror as she glanced from the mushrooms Varian had been gathering and back to him again.

“Whoa, what is it?” Varian asked, suddenly worried that perhaps he had misidentified the species of mushroom, and looked down at the specimen in his hands worriedly. He had been so _sure_ that they were safe. Analyzing them again, Varian was certain that they were fine. What was the problem? “What’s wrong Anya?”

“Do you _want_ to be cursed??” Anya asked in clear alarm, and earning a confused look from Varian, who blinked at her a couple of times, wondering for a moment if he had heard her right.

“Er…what?”

“Ugh, can’t you see it??” Anya asked in frustration, and pointing to the ground in front of Varian. “You’ve disrupted a fairy ring! Don’t you know that you’re _never_ supposed to disrupt fairy rings?”

Varian raised an eyebrow, looking back at the circular design that the mushrooms grew in in the grass. Or, at least, the design they *had* been growing in before Varian had plucked some of them out of it.

 _“Is she for real?”_ Varian asked himself, glancing again at Anya’s face, half expecting her to burst out laughing at his confused expression, and admitting how ‘oh boy, she sure him good with that joke!’ But he only saw dead seriousness in her eyes as she continued to wait for his response.

“Oh! Uh, don’t-don’t worry,” Varian managed to stammer, hardly believing that he had to explain this to someone as clever as Anya. “It’s not, er, actually *magical* or anything. It’s a perfectly natural pattern for them to grow in. See, this ring pattern forms because in the whole network of fungi beneath the ground, the center of the cluster as absorbed all of the nutrients it can get from that patch of soil. So, the center fungi die off, leaving only the outer ones alive. See? Perfectly natural. Nothing to be afraid of. Just nature doing its thing. No fairies involved at all.”

“I know that!” Anya snapped, only causing Varian further confusion.

“Oookkaaay then,” Varian said as he shifted awkwardly beneath Anya’s gaze. “Then, I-I don’t understand what the big deal-”

Anya sighed. “Look, I know that fairy rings have a natural cause, alright? _But_ they also serve the purpose of being places for the fae folk to have their gatherings – either for good or bad fortune. It’s hard to tell which, so to be safe, unless you’ve thoroughly analyzed it to be sure, you never disrupt fairy rings or stand inside them, least you suffer a curse at their hands.”

Varian made a face. Dang, this girl was weird. How could she know the scientific explanation and *still* insist that all those fairy tales and legends must somehow be true. Whatever. Varian wasn’t about to let some girl’s silly superstitions stop him from collecting such a rare specimen for his experiments.

“Well, I think I’ll take my chances,” was Varian’s only reply as he went back to plucking and digging up the fungi.

Anya let out a frustrated snort behind him. “Ok, fine,” she said as she tossed her hands in the air and turned back into the woods. “But don’t come running to me when the fae set any toads on you.”

Now Varian couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this. “Ha ha ha! What?? _Toads?_ Oh c’mon, Anya! Now that’s just plain-”

_RIBBIT!_

“Aaaah!” Varian yelped as a very loud croak sounded right beside him. As he leapt back, the mushrooms Varian had been gathering went flying, and Varian stared wide eyed at a huge bull frog that had settled itself next to him. It stared back at Varian with its beady eyes as it let out another deep, droning sound.

“Told ya,” Anya said smugly from where she continued to walk down the trail leading further back into the woods. Varian growled as he gathered his scattered mushrooms back up.

“It’s a _frog_ , not a toad!” Varian yelled back at Anya angrily as he shoved the mushrooms into his pack, and got up from the grassy ground, giving once last glare at the bull frog as it stared up at him with its creepy, golden eyes.

“Tch!” Varian hissed through his teeth, hoping to sound dismissive, as he shouldered his bag, and jogged back up the path to catch up with his hiking partner.


	4. The Airbeast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An AU one-shot inspired by Scott Westerfeld's 'Leviathan' steampunk trilogy. This scene in particular was inspired by a scene between Alek and Deryn in book 3 of the trilogy, 'Goliath.'

Varian crouched down low, his hands gripping hard at the ratlines as the rain poured down in torrents over the back of the great airbeast. It was madness trying to fix the radio lines aloft in this storm! But if left on their own to whip about in these high winds, the sharp metal lines could cause serious damage to the membrane of the airship, and loose hydrogen was never a good thing. Especially with all of the rainwater adding more and more weight with every passing second, the last thing everyone needed was a drastic loss in altitude towards the violently tossing ocean below with no way of stopping it. Or worse, a hydrogen explosion could instantly send them all into a blazing oblivion. Either way - burning to death or drowning - Varian was determined to avoid either option.

Despite being made from the life-threads of a sperm whale, cuttlefish, and other various aquatic species, the hydrogen breather wasn’t at her best when water was a factor. She was specifically bred to be a creature of the air, so such conditions always made the beast nervous. Varian just hoped that his specially tailored lightning rods would be enough to at least keep the threat of an electrical strike at bay. They just had to focus on making sure the radio wires didn’t injure the creature and cause irreparable disaster.

Behind him, Varian could just make out through the fog of his goggles the shape of Anya approaching him. She too was bent down far against the wind, goggles over her eyes, and was making steady progress by pulling herself along hand over hand, as if the ratlines were like a ladder laid down on the ground.

“Where’s the first break?” Varian called to her over his shoulder, hoping she could hear him over the roar of wind and rain.

“Over there!” Anya replied, pointing a little to starboard. “If you take that one, I’ll get the one further along!”

“Right!” Varian shouted over his shoulder. “Be careful!”

Anya nodded, and proceeded to readjust her safety line as she prepared to continue forward along the giant airship’s spine. It felt like an eternity before Varian finally reached the loose end of wire, and he let out a snarl of frustration as his gloved hands struggled to latch onto the end flailing about in the air. Finally, after snagging his bit of line, Varian quickly got to work putting the line back together. Bracing himself, Varian pulled off his right-hand glove with his teeth, and held it tight in his jaw as his hands struggled to twist the wires into place. Varian began to feel his heart pound hard behind his breastbone as his numb fingers made it difficult to work smoothly. Risking a glance towards the bow, Varian could see Anya had made it to her bit of radio line as well now, and seemed to also be struggling to connect it through the cold and slickness of rain.

Finally, Varian was able to make the last of the repairs, and with a sigh of relief, redonned his glove, and turned to see how Anya was progressing. In that moment, three things struck Varian like a hard blow in the face. One was that the airship was now tilting slightly upwards, likely carried by an updraft. The second thing was that with this new angle of the ship, a fast stream of rainwater was now rushing its way from the bow of the ship to the tail.

The third thing was that both he and Anya were directly in the path of the rushing rainwater.

“ANYA!” Varian cried as he began scrambling towards her. By this point, Anya had also become aware of their danger, but her radio line wasn’t fully secure yet. Desperately, Anya did the best she could to secure it off before the large wave of water could crash over her.  
  
 _“Has she lost her mind!?”_ Varian thought in alarm as he began running now, realizing that Anya wasn’t getting out of the way. 

“ANYA!” Varian shouted again. “ANY-!”

All of a sudden, the world shifted beneath Varian, his legs slid out from under him, and his head cracked painfully against the taught membrane of the airbeast beneath him. For a moment, the only sensations that registered to Varian were a sharp ringing sound in his ears, the feeling of the tiny cilia of the airbeast’s skin fluttering like small blades of grass beneath him…and the feeling of sliding quicker and quicker down a slope to his right.

Varian perhaps should’ve been afraid in that moment; panicked even. But everything was such a muddle that he could barely move let alone do much to help himself. For a second, Varian felt himself go into a sensation of free-fall, and he dimly wondered if he were dreaming, or perhaps dying. In the next second, Varian felt himself jerk to a sickening halt, and he let out a cry against the pain the surged through his head and stomach.

Varian blinked and shook his head, but this only made the dizzying sensation worse. He also thought he could hear a voice shouting to him, but the roar in his ears prevented him from making it out distinctly. The next thing Varian knew, he felt himself being pulled back up, and that the feeling of arms being brought around him and pinning him against the ratlines. 

“BRACE YOURSELF!” Varian heard a voice shouting in his ear, making him wince. “HOLD ON, AND HOLD YOUR BREATH!”

Though he had no idea what was happening, Varian managed to obey the voice, and as he took in a large gulp of air and gripped the ropes beneath his hands as hard as he could, he felt a hard, cold wave of water gush over him. Almost immediately, Varian felt the breath almost knocked out of him by the force and cold of the river that passed over him. His grip began to weaken too, and had it not been for the presence that held him fast against to the ropes, he was sure that he would’ve been swept away.

As the waves subsided, Varian gasped for breath – coughing and choking on the water that had got into his mouth and nose.

“Varian!” the voice came again as Varian struggled to push his goggles up out of his face. “Varian! Talk to me! Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

Varian wiped a gloved hand over his face, and blinked as his eyes focused on the worried face before him.

“A…Anya?” Varian asked, his expression dazed.

“Y-yes, it’s me!” Anya said, bracing Varian up by the shoulders. “Are you all right?” 

But Varian only blinked at her again, and then winced as he brought a hand up to his aching head.

“Here, let me se-!” Anya began, but then stopped as she saw Varian’s hand come away, and the water streaming down it was tinted with red. 

“Varian, you’re-!”

“Oo-oh-!” Varian gasped, and began to double over.

“NO NO NO!” Anya cried, giving Varian a small shake at the shoulders. “Don’t pass out Varian! Stay with me! Look at me! Talk to me!”

But Varian was so confused, and scared. “Wh-where’s Ruddiger?” the boy asked dumbly.

“He-he’s down below,” Anya replied, now very concerned. “We need to get back to him now. Can you move? We have to get to the hatch at the rear engine rooms.”

Varian swallowed, and wavered as Anya tried to help him along in a crawl. But after a few sluggish movements, Varian collapsed back down onto the airbeast’s membrane.

Varian was just so tired…

“No no Varian, come on!” Anya cried, bringing one of Varian’s arms over her shoulders as his eyes threatened to droop closed. “Don’t quit on me now! Stay with me! We can make it!”

Varian knew Anya continued giving him encouragements, and he knew he continued to try to move, but the world was becoming a muddle again. He was just so cold, and tired, and his head hurt. He just wanted to sleep and then wake up, with this whole thing having been a bad dream…

Just then, Varian felt the membrane beneath him bounce a little in rapid motion, like a small series of mallets beating against the taught skin of a drum. With blurry vision, Varian looked up to see several dark figures scrambling their way towards him and Anya. He couldn’t make out their words, but he knew the voices to be urgent and familiar, and as he felt himself being lifted and carried away by strong arms, Varian’s vision went dark completely, with the last thing he remembered being the feeling of a friend’s hand squeezing his tightly as the crew made their way to the back engine rooms.


	5. A Fencing Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another scene inspired by Scott Westerfeld's 'Leviathan' trilogy. This time inspired by a scene from book 2, 'Behemoth.'

“Bring your blade up a bit higher,” Anya instructed, as Varian attempted to mirror her pose with his own. It felt so strange standing like this – his sword arm already beginning to ache from trying to hold the blade at the correct angle, his forward foot pointed towards his opponent, his back foot pointed in the perpendicular direction, and his left fist set to the small of his back so his free arm bent in the shape of a teapot handle behind him. Varian of course had held a sword before now, and Quirin had taught him a thing or two about how to wield one, but he’d never practiced it very extensively. He knew how to exchange a few strokes and how to parry certain moves, but he knew his skills were rudimentary at best (and he’d never had to stand with such an unnatural-feeling posture before). Though after all of the adventures with the Sundrop and the Moonstone, Varian had begun to see the value of knowing more about the art of the blade. And especially now, when one of the warrior girls from Ingvarr was visiting his kingdom, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn a thing or two about their style of combat.

“Stand up straighter, and bring your shoulders back more” Anya said firmly but patiently. Varian’s brow furrowed a little. He couldn’t help but feel silly as he could feel the eyes of his friends watching them from the side of the sparring green. Varian did wish that Eugene and Lance didn’t sit there with a bucket of popcorn in hand, and he tried to ignore the swift strokes of Rapunzel’s paintbrush as she captured this moment in her journal. Cassandra, on the other hand, seemed somewhat disinterested as her attention seemed to be focused more on whetting her own sword. She probably knew this technique herself already, and so the lesson held only a limited appeal for her to watch. A small part of Varian did hope that perhaps he looked at least a little bit competent, or maybe even somewhat regal as he adjusted to a taller, straighter posture - poised for battle. But as he caught Rapunzel’s glances and smiles out of the corner of his eye as she committed his pose to paper, it took a fair amount of Varian’s self-control to not hunch back over a bit in self-consciousness.

“Widen your stance,” Anya commanded, and with a small frown, Varian shuffled his feet further apart.

“A bit more,” Anya commanded again, and Varian scooted his feet a little further apart, nearly losing his balance in the process.

“No, not like that- Here, let me show you,” Anya said as she stepped over to where Varian was starting to resume his former stance. 

“No no, I’ve got it,” Varian insisted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I just gotta-”

“Here,” Anya’s voice sounded at Varian’s shoulder, and it was all Varian could do to not flinch away as the girl gently kicked his left foot back into its proper position, and grasped his right wrist to bring his sword arm to the correct angle. “There, see? This will give you more stability in your stance. Now, just bend your knees a bit more and… Good! That will do.”

Varian found he could only reply with a small nod as Anya walked away again, and the boy had to struggle to not look to see his friends grinning and snickering at his flustered expression. Varian’s jaw tightened, and he tried his best to stay focused as Anya resumed her position in front of him, and the two of them locked eyes as the tips of their blades hovered a couple feet apart from each other. And then…

…Nothing…

After several seconds, Varian’s eyes darted from the tip of Anya’s sword, and then back to her eyes again.

“Um,” Varian began hesitantly. “Soooo…does one of us need to say ‘go’ then, or…?”

Anya looked puzzled by his question for a moment. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Anya replied as the realization dawned on her. “I should’ve explained earlier. We’re not going to do any actual sparring yet. First, you gotta get the posture solidified in your muscle memory.”

“Oh. Um, ok,” Varian said with clear disappointment and confusion. “So, how do we go about doing that?” 

“We’ll stand here like this for the next half hour.”

“What!?” Varian exclaimed, again trying to ignore the snickers of the others nearby. “For a _half hour_!? Oh, come on! My arm’s already getting tired!”

Anya shrugged, and Varian frowned at her smug expression. “Hey, we gotta build your strength up too, right? And you’re lucky. Most of us girls in Ingvarr have to do this for a whole hour when they first train.” 

Varian growled to himself. He was almost sure Anya was exaggerating. Either way though, he wasn’t about to back down from a challenge, and so Varian set his brow again as he held his pose.

About three minutes later, the tip of Varian’s sword started to waver as his muscles began to complain. Five minutes later, and Varian began to feel stiff and sore in his legs as well. Varian couldn’t help but shift about a few times in discomfort. It also didn’t help that Anya remained so still in front of him, the only movements from her being her hair moving in the breeze, her eyes blinking, and her shoulders moving up and down slightly with the pace of her breathing.

After another minute, Varian was about ready to give up and call the whole thing a bust. But then an idea crept into his brain. Wasn’t another part of swordsmanship about being ready at any and all times? About being prepared for a surprise attack and all that?

Perhaps it would be fun to test _Anya’s_ skills for once – see how _she_ liked it.

“What’re y-?” was the only sound that escaped Anya’s throat before she was forced to block a stroke from Varian as the boy suddenly thrust his sword towards her. Abandoning the stiff posture from before, Varian gripped his sword tight in both hands as he delivered a series of blows that Quirin had taught him years ago. Varian couldn’t help but smile and let out a few huffs of laughter as Anya parried his strokes, and he began to feel the beginnings of the thrill of a really good sparring match as steel clanged against steel. Of course, Varian knew that neither of them could do much harm with dull blades, save for perhaps a bit of bruising, and he knew that Anya had fair amount of skill herself. So Varian didn’t hold back as he continued on the offensive.

Anya had to admit that the boy had caught her nearly off guard with his surprise attack, and it was all Anya could do to maintain her balance as he came at her with his first few blows. He clearly was using some previous knowledge of the sword that he had gained at one point, but the posture exercise from before had clearly taken some of the strength out of him, much to his disadvantage unfortunately. After recovering from Varian’s unexpected attack, Anya managed to see her opening, and took the opportunity to parry one of Varian’s strokes, and then retaliate with her own technique. Flicking her blade so that the flexible metal wrapped its way partially around Varian’s like a thin, silver snake, Anya got enough torque to pry the sword out of Varian’s grip, and sent it skidding away across the grassy turf.

“Wh-wha-?” Varian huffed between breaths as he panted. “How-how did you-?”

Anya gave Varian a smile and a wink. “A little trick I picked up from Auntie,” Anya explained, and strode across the green to where Varian’s sword lay on the ground. “You have a keen sense of strategy, Varian,” Anya complimented as she handed the blade back to him. “If you can get both strength and skill to go along with that sense, I don’t doubt you could be a formidable opponent on the battlefield.”

Varian hoped that he wasn’t blushing nearly as hard as he felt he was as he tried to muster up a response to the unexpected praise. Varian cleared his throat.

“Ahem, oh, uh, well, th-thank you for, um, for saying so. I-I think.” 

Anya gave another good-natured smile, and walked again to the center of the sparring green, with Varian following suit.

“Now, shall we try again?”


	6. Missing Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian sees a rare side of Anya.

"Oh hey, here you are!" Varian exclaimed as he found Anya sitting behind the castle greenhouse with Ari. "I've been looking all over for you! Rapunzel and Eugene were just about to-"

Varian stopped, his voice dying in his throat as Anya looked up at him with puffy, pink-rimmed eyes.

She'd been _crying_.

"O-oh, hey," Varian said softly, kneeling down next to Anya as she hid her face in her hands. "Anya, what's wrong?"

But Anya only shook her head in reply, a choked sob escaping her throat as she buried her face into her knees. Ari did her best to comfort her as she nuzzled into Anya's side, and also let out a few soft whimpers of solidarity with her owner's distress.

Varian wrung his hands together nervously, unsure of what he ought to do. Anya always seemed so happy, or at the very least so tough and carefree. What on earth could've made her so upset like this? It also didn't help that Varian had never been in a situation like this before - of having to comfort a girl his own age that he hadn't known for very long. He considered for a brief second the idea of running to get Rapunzel (for surely she would know how best to comfort someone), but he quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn't just leave Anya like this. He had to do _something_ , even if it wasn't much.

Tentatively, Varian sat down next to Anya, and brought an arm around her shoulders. For a split second, he second guessed himself - wondering if he should've asked her permission first. And indeed, Anya did flinch a little as she felt the unexpected weight on her shoulders. But as she quickly glanced at Varian's face beside her, she didn't pull away, but instead allowed herself to give in to her remaining sobs as she leaned into his side a bit more with the gesture.

"Hey, it's ok Anya, it's ok," Varian began to murmur as Anya's form shook with weeping. "It's ok. Shh, you'll be alright. I'm right here..."

Varian continued to offer whatever comforting words he could think of as Anya's sobs began to calm down, and as Anya took a few steadying breaths, Varian dug into one of his pockets with his free hand and pulled out a handkerchief which he offered to her.

"Th-thank you," Anya stammered with a sniff before drying her face and blowing her nose.

"No problem," Varian replied, pulling his arm away, and a few moments of silence passed between them as Anya regained her composure.

"Um, do you...?" Varian began after a little while. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

Anya paused, then took in another shaky breath. "M-maybe..."

Varian gave a sympathetic smile and a nod, waiting patiently.

"I just..." Anya tried, swallowing hard. "Just...i-it's so hard, Varian."

"What's hard?" Varian asked.

"S-seeing you...all of you...w-with your fathers..."

Varian blinked, understanding beginning to dawn on him. He knew by now that Anya had never known who her father was, but he didn't know that it caused her this much distress inside.

"D-don't get me wrong! I-I'm happy for you all, really. It's just...I-it's hard because Mom..." Anya frowned hard. "Mom never talks about him..."

Varian was surprised to hear Anya suddenly opening up to him about such personal matters, but he continued to listen with silence and patience.

"Every time I ask she...she just tells me to leave it alone. But...w- _why_? Was he bad person? Did he do something wrong? D-did he hurt her-?" Anya's voice broke a little, and she swallowed hard again. "...O-or, did something bad happen to _him_? Did something horrific happen that Mom doesn't want to remember? I just..." Anya sighed. "Maybe the truth hurts, whatever it is, but still, I...I just...really wanna know sometimes. And..." Anya shook her head again, giving a few sad, huffing chuckles. "I-it feels ridiculous, especially when I think about how he...he might not have been good, but sometimes, I...I _miss_ him."

Anya looked up at Varian, her face tear-stained, and a sad smile tugging at her lips. "Varian, do...do you think it's possible to miss someone you've never met?"

Varian paused before his response, struck by the unexpected question. The idea, however, was not unfamiliar to him. As Anya had been describing her feelings, Varian found himself thinking of his own parent that he had never known - his mother - and how he had little to no memories of her either. Technically, he had of course met her in his life, but it was when he was a baby. Beyond that, nothing. In a way, he also found himself missing someone he had never met. Or, at least, someone whom he had no memory of.

With his own sad smile, Varian placed a hand on Anya's shoulder, and nodded. "Absolutely, Anya."

Anya now looked from Varian's face to his hand on her shoulder. Varian started, and pulled himself back. "Oh, uh, er, s-sorry," Varian stammered, looking down at the grass, embarrassed. But then, to his surprise and relief, he felt Anya return the gesture by leaning over and pulling him into a hug.

"You're fine," he heard her say at his shoulder, and Varian gratefully brought his arms around her as well. It wasn't a long hug, but it was enough to communicate between one another that the other was there, that they understood, and that neither of them were alone.


	7. Hot Cocoa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and Anya have some hot cocoa together.

"Ah, yes! Thank you, Ruddiger. This. Is. _Perfect_! Muahahaha!"

Anya couldn't help but giggle as she watched Varian and Ruddiger carry on with their alchemical antics. It was the first time she and Ari had come to see Varian's lab in the legendary Demanitus chamber, and Anya was having fun watching and learning about the art of alchemy that Varian loved so much. While Anya and Varian shared a mutual talent for mechanical engineering, the chemistry side of alchemy was something that Anya had never really delved into before. She knew a few practical compounds - like how to make simple healing salves, tonics, and mild poisons and the like - but most intricacies beyond that were new to her. She doubted that she would ever take the same degree of interest in it as Varian, but it did make her happy to see him so passionate about it, and he really was quite entertaining to watch and to listen to as he worked.

"Here we are, m'lady!" Varian said in his playful, exuberant tone as he handed Anya one of the glass beakers that Ruddiger had been helping him prepare. "I believe you will find this latest concoction to be the pinnacle of all alchemical achievement! I call it, _hot cocoa_!"

Anya couldn't help but giggle again as she took her drink, and also replied playfully with a small bow, "I'm sure it will not disappoint m'lord!"

The two of them clinked their glasses together, and Anya gratefully took in a few sips of the sweet drink. "Mmm," Anya hummed in contentment. "This really is quite good-"

"Gah!"

Anya stopped, the smile immediately vanishing from her face as beside her Varian gasped, his free hand grasping as his chest, and his other slamming his beaker of cocoa down on the table.

"Varian!?" Anya asked in alarm. "Varian, what's wrong!?"

"Oh no..." Varian whispered, breathing hard. "I...I must've accidentally added the-the werewolf extract to the mixture!"

"The _what_!?" Anya cried, looking wide-eyed at her own beaker in her hand, nearly dropping it in shock.

"RRRAAAAAHHHH!" Varian suddenly roared, throwing his head back like a wild animal howling at the sky.

"Varian!" Anya shouted, not knowing what else to do as she grabbed him by the shoulders, and Ari barked and jumped at her side. "Varian! Just-just hang on! We-we've gotta stop this before we both transform! Quick! Where's the extract! Maybe we can make an antidote with it! Like when people use snake venom to-!"

Anya stopped again, this time though in utter confusion as Varian suddenly started to laugh again. _Was this how it started!? Would he first go mad and then feral and tear all within reach into pieces!? Was he-!?_

"Gotcha! Hahahaha!"

Anya froze, blinking dumbfounded for a moment. "Wait...Y-you mean-?"

Anya shoved Varian away with a scowl as the realization dawned on her, and Varian continued to laugh.

"Oh man, you-you should've seen the look on your face!" Varian said between giggles. "Oh man, I totally got you!"

"Tch! Get stuffed!" Anya snapped back, feeling herself blushing with embarrassment at having been fooled like that. "And anyway, that's not very safe now, is it? What if you really do get poisoned someday and I don't believe you?"

"Oh, c'mon Anya," Varian said. "There's no need to be a poor sport about it."

Anya furrowed her brow at him a moment, but then allowed herself to smirk as she did think how it was quite a clever prank. "Alright, fine. You got me this time. _But_ , you do realize this means war now, right?"

Now it was Varian's turn to look nervous as Anya looked at him mischievously from over the rim of her beaker of cocoa as she took another sip.

Varian blushed, then laughed again. "Heh heh! Guess I should expect nothing less from a warrior of Ingvarr, huh?"

"Naturally," Anya replied. "Cheers!"


	8. The Word I Couldn't Keep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An "it's late at night and I feel like writing fluff" fic.
> 
> The title and song featured in this chapter were inspired by, "The Word I Couldn't Keep" from the game 'Nancy Drew: Sea of Darkness.'
> 
> Take a listen to the song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtSK-m0fJnk

* * *

"What song is that?"

Anya flinched, startled at how for once Varian was able to come up behind her without her noticing. Looking over her shoulder, Anya saw Varian peering at her from the ladder that went up the scaffolding's side, his expression somehow both pleased with himself for being so stealthy for once, yet also apologetic for surprising his friend like that.

"Oh, i-it's just an old tune," Anya replied, sincerely hoping that the moonlight was dim enough to hide the blush of embarrassment breaking out on her face. "Why?"

Varian hoisted himself up the rest of the way, then took a seat beside Anya on the high platform. "I just heard you humming it from down there, and it made me curious. It sounds like a nice song."

Anya smiled, though skeptical that her humming would sound all that nice. "It's definitely an interesting song. It's one that I learned from a traveling bard some years ago. It's a song about an old ship's captain who regrets not being home with his sweetheart. It's sad, but also has a bit of hope in it, like he believes that someday they will see each other again. Somehow."

Varian nodded. "So...are you missing someone right now?"

Anya shrugged. "Not especially. I mean, of course I have people that I miss, and the song does make me think of them sometimes. But really I was just humming it to myself because I felt like it." Anya looked at Varian inquisitively. "Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason," Varian said, scratching the back of his neck. "Just...from how you described it, it sounded like a sad song, and...Well, I didn't want you to be feeling sad."

Anya smiled. "That's very kind of you. But I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Oh, y-yeah, of course."

A few moments of silence passed between the two of them as they looked out over the landscape. It really was a great vantage point, all the way up there. And the moonlight did highlight things in a silvery glow. It really did feel like a night somehow both melancholy yet hopeful.

"...Do you think you could sing the song?"

Anya looked at Varian, surprised by him for the second time that evening at the unexpected question. She also felt her face beginning to red a second time as well as she stuttered, "O-oh, uh, well, I-I could theoretically of course. But, um, I'm not a very great singer or anything." Anya swallowed. "Certainly not as good as you."

Varian smiled with a soft, bashful laugh. "Th-that's all right. I'm sure you'll sound fine. I just...want to hear it from you is all."

Anya took a deep breath to steady herself. "All right, if you insist." And after clearing her throat, she began to sing.

"A foreign shore behind me  
And a hundred more to go  
On stormy seas and starless nights  
Caught on a cold wind's blow  
So many years have put my battered bow up to the test  
A long forgotten promise coming home at least to rest  
  
Yet even in this darkness  
Something calls for me to find  
And cities may all turn to ash  
And stone walls fall to time  
My love still lies there buried  
Under silent ice and sleep  
A grave left unattended  
By the word I couldn't keep..."  
  


As the song went on, Anya tried hard not to glance over at Varian, whose eyes she could feel on her occasionally as she sang. Her voice wavered at parts in nervousness, and a few times she nearly went sharp or flat in her key, but she managed to pull it off pretty ok. At least, Anya didn't think she sounded terrible, though she was still painfully aware that singing was not her strongest suit.

As the song came to an end, Anya finally risked a glance over at Varian. "S-so, um, yeah. Th-that's the song. Heh! Pretty cryptic lyrics, huh?"

Varian nodded. "Yeah. They sure are."

Another moment of silence as Varian scratched the back of his neck again. "Y-you did sound really nice by the way."

Anya chuffed. "Again, that's very kind of you to say."

"Oh c'mon, I mean it," Varian said, giving Anya a friendly nudge in the arm. "Don't be so down on yourself."

Anya gave him a nudge of her own in return, but didn't argue. "All right, fine," she said. "Thank you."

The two of them sat there for another few moments, before Anya finally let out a yawn and a stretch. "Well, it's getting late. We really should head back inside."

"Yeah," Varian replied, also giving a yawn and a stretch. "I'm sure they'll give us even more work to do in the morning."

"For sure," Anya said as she began to descend the ladder, with Varian following close behind.


End file.
